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Field Evaluation Service – Individual Machine Approval for the USA and Canada

Easy Access to the North American Market

Make it easier to export your machines to the US and Canada – with product certification from TÜV Rheinland! We will check your systems for compliance with North American legal requirements – at your production facilities and upon installation abroad. Our colleagues in Canada and the US will perform the required FES (“Field Evaluation Service”) compliance procedure. We also assign your products the “field label.” This ensures that you receive the required machine approval from local authorities quickly, easily, and cost-effectively.

Benefits at a Glance

TÜV Rheinland support for individual approvals helps you:

Avoid problems during the approval process with local inspectors from the AHJ (Authorities Having Jurisdiction)

Save time, enabling you to deliver working systems on schedule

Avoid having to make retroactive changes to your machines after they have been installed in the US or Canada

Increase confidence in the quality and reliability of your machines

Our Audits

It only takes four steps for our experts to help you get approval for your machines:

1. PreparationBefore exporting your machines to North America, you contact us and provide us with the technical documentation for your machines, as well as the planned installation location in the USA or Canada.

2. Preliminary AuditWe will inspect your production facilities and perform an on-site preliminary audit of the machine in its ready-for-delivery state and of the corresponding technical documentation too. We will also audit instructions for installation and operations. The audit should be performed early enough, so there is still enough time to make any modifications before shipping.

3. Audit ReportAfter the preliminary audit, our experts create an audit report. This report will certify that your machine complies with the corresponding product-specific standards that apply in the US or Canada, as well as local requirements. Should this not be the case, you will receive a detailed list of action items that must be dealt with before the final audit. We will send the technical documentation and audit report to the relevant colleague in the US or Canada.

4. Final AuditOnce the system has been installed in the US or Canada, our colleague there will perform a simplified on-site acceptance procedure for the machine. If all the action items have been processed, you will receive a positive FES report, and the machine will be given a field label. The system will then be approved by the local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) representative.

Legal Standards in the US and Canada

The applicable regulations can be found in articles 90-7, 110-2, and 110-3 of the NEC (“National Electric Code”, and 29 CFR 1910.301 (subpart S) of the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Both organizations require official approval of all electronic devices and systems in the US and Canada. Approval can be proven via a “listing” or a “field evaluation.”

Inspection Procedures

Component Evaluation:

The following safety relevant components are inspected for suitability of electrical rating and NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Lab) approval.

Construction Evaluation:

The equipment's design is visually inspected with particular attention to the following areas:

Required Additional Safety Testing

In addition to relevant construction evaluations, the equipment will also be tested for compliance to safety requirements. The tests may vary depending on the type of equipment. However, some of the most common tests are:

Grounding Continuity Test:

Testing for proper grounding and bonding of the whole equipment.

Dielectric Voltage Withstand Test (Hi Pot Test):

Testing for adequate spacing between conductive parts. Test is performed between primary and ground and primary and secondary of the unit.

Input Current Test:

Measuring the input current of the unit during maximum load operation and evaluating the suitability of protection mechanisms such as fuses, circuit breakers, etc.

Strain Relief Test:

Measuring the strength and suitability of strain relief through push and pull tests.

EMO Tests:

Test the proper operation of any emergency stops for reliability and proper functioning.

Rain Tests (for outdoor use equipment):

Equipment is exposed to simulated rain conditions for up to four hours. Following the test, the equipment is inspected for ingress of water and tested for dielectric breakdown and insulation resistance.

Interlock Test:

Tests the suitability and performance of all interlocks giving access to live parts and moving components.

Legal Standards in the US and Canada

The applicable regulations can be found in articles 90-7, 110-2, and 110-3 of the NEC (“National Electric Code”, and 29 CFR 1910.301 (subpart S) of the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Both organizations require official approval of all electronic devices and systems in the US and Canada. Approval can be proven via a “listing” or a “field evaluation”.

Accrediting Jurisdictions

A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory accredited by OSHA

An Inspection Body (IB) and a Certification Body (CB) accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

Accepted throughout the world as one of the largest international testing laboratories.